Even though pipe is relatively lightweight for its size, it is conventionally sold in long lengths that may be difficult to grasp and carry for long distances, such as is sometimes required on construction sites and during maintenance projects. Plumbers and others often struggle handling pipe or other elongated objects by hand due to their relative large diameters. Joining together two pieces of pipe by glue joint coupling often requires the effort of two people, since one operator must hold the coupling and the other operator must grasp the pipe and insert the pipe inside the coupling. The pipe can be slippery and awkward to grip due to the diameter of the pipe and worksite conditions. Often larger diameter pipes are being assembled in a trench for underground applications, which further complicates the task because of the limited amount of space available for two people to position themselves relative to the pipe and because of the dirt and moisture that may be present. Conventional equipment used to grasp tubular objects tends to be bulky, can damage the object being held, and is often awkward to use when grasping objects in difficult to access areas. Another shortcoming of most conventional equipment is its inability to allow movement of tubular objects axially as well as rotationally while the equipment is at least partially engaged with the object.
Devices are known for gripping pipe or other elongated objects with a rounded outer surface. One known device is a pipe wrench of various designs, such as groove joint pliers used to engage pipe or other fittings. These devices generally include a pair of jaws and one or more handgrips connected to the jaws. These devices are designed to rotate the pipe about its longitudinal axis. One disadvantage of these devices is that they are not designed to push the pipe in a direction along its longitudinal axis, which could be helpful for inserting the pipe into a coupling. Another disadvantage of these tools is that force must be exerted on the one or more handgrips of the device in order to grip an outside surface of the pipe between the jaws. In situations where continuous gripping of the pipe is needed, continuous force must be applied to the one or more handgrips. This required application of force may result in fatigue to an operator of the device. It is for these reasons that these tools are not adequate for carrying or otherwise transporting the pipe from one location to another or for moving the pipe in a direction along its longitudinal axis.
Although satisfactory in certain respects, a need remains for an improved pipe handling tool. In particular, it would be desirable to ensure that upon engaging the tool to a pipe or other elongated object that the pipe is adequately secured to the tool without requiring the application of force to the handgrip, that the handgrip is in a desirable ergonomic position for handling the pipe when clamped thereto, and that the tool can be easily and quickly engaged to, or disengaged from, the pipe.